A breakdown of the Universe Periodic Review Working Group’s recommendations given on November 11, 2022, unveils the international community’s chief concern relating to Algeria: Gender equality, Women empowerment, and protection. The Category is referred to in 68/291 recommendations, surpassing any other category. Examining the data, academic journals, and cases of gender-based violence and treatment further substantiates the reasons for the international community’s concerns. 

According to IPU Parline, who provides global on national parliaments, Algerian women’s representation ranks at 167/193. Out of 407 seats in parliament, only 34 were held by women, a mere 8%. For instance, the number of women legislatures dropped from 145 seats in 2012 to 120 in 2017. A series of femicides and a sharp spike in gender-based violence paralleled the sharp drop in representation. For example, on January 24, 2021, a 45-year-old mother of five, Warda Hafedh, was murdered by her husband after being hit three times with a hammer on the head and stabbed five times as their daughter watched. Two days after, Tinhinane Laceb, an Algerian journalist working at TV4 Tamazight, was also killed by her husband.”

In October 2020, Algeria’s media outlets were filled with images of a 19-year-old woman, Chaïma, who was kidnapped, beaten, raped, and burned alive in Thénia. These events are not isolated cases and figures published annually by the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN). The Gendarmerie surface camouflaged the dangers covered by cultural and societal stigma and taboos. Recently, statistics reported by police show that over 7,000 cases of gender-based violence were documented in 2018 alone. Such levels are particularly alarming, as the matter is not taken seriously; both families and authorities denounce and discourage women from reporting such cases. Feminicides-dz reports have published known cases on their site, providing identifiers such as dates, age, and the victim’s relationship to the perpetrator. An overwhelming number of recorded murders were by relatives such as sons, brothers, and husbands. Other shocking cases include:

1. On March 4, 2022, Souk Ahras, 19 years old, was murdered by her brothers and her mother, who suffocated her with a pillow after they discovered that she had a romantic relationship with a man.
2. On April 25, 2022, in Ain Defla, her first name is unknown, 71 years old. She was murdered by a man who stole her jewelry, tied her up, and killed her.
3. On February 13, 2022, in Boumerdes, Kelthoum Rekhila, 33, a mother of three, was murdered by her ex-husband, who hit and stabbed her in front of two children. He had been threatening and harassing her for years. Besides, he had tried to murder her and was violent toward her. She was the mother of three children.

The surfacing of these gender-based violence concerns and cases has caused many to question the sources and variables that lead to such a dilemma. The issue is particularly perplexing when considering the factor of empowerment and education. Data presents a mixed message. For example, only 3.8% of women between 20 and 24 years were either in a union or married before age 18. These facts indicate that it is not pattern of early or underage marriages. When it comes to education, research has shown a “sharp increase in the female enrollment rate from 52% to 63%.” Yet UN Women reports a Labour Force Participation Rate (by Sex, 15+ – ILO Modelled Estimates, Nov. 2019 (%)) of 14.6 percent for females. UN Women further reports that as of December 2020, there are serious gaps in critical areas, such as labor market indicators like the gender pay gap or societal issues like violence against women.

In Algeria, like in most parts of the world, there has been a historical male advantage in education in many other fields. The inequality has previously produced more male registrations. For instance, the research on enrollment rate (%) by sex, place of residence, and age group in Algeria from 1987 to 2002 illustrates the higher male enrolment rate in urban and rural areas. Historically significant, however, is the gender gap in enrollment in rural areas that still plagues the country. There seems to be a different reality for women and girls in the city than in rural areas.

Furthermore, the reality of employing women from rural to urban areas will likely lead to undermining and mistreating female colleagues in the workplace. More recent statistics from the World Bank database (2020) show that 66.42% of Tertiary schools are females, and only 39.16 % are male. “But, for most women, significant educational gains have not translated into better labor market outcomes.” Further analysis is that women’s dominance is not specific to one field or simple language arts but nearly all completed degrees: 70.5 %  of Hard Science degrees completed were attained by women; 65% in medical science, 80% natural and earth science, social and human science was 65 percent and 82.6 percent in language and literature. Algeria has rich resources in its female population, yet women make up only 14 percent of its labor force. 

  To conclude, although the struggle is not meant to pit women against men, there is evidence to show that if women get involved in public decision-making processes, they lead to setting up policies that benefit children, women, and families in general. It is equally important to understand that the female enrollment increase has come at the cost of male enrollment decrease due to performance. The more male enrollment numbers decrease, the more the equality gap widens, as demonstrated by employment and parliamentary representation. Moreover, as the employment gap and representation decrease, gender-based violence becomes more problematic. There is a need to evaluate the present gender inequality situation in Algeria and its precipitative effects. The family code has proven problematic and added laws have failed to address the issue. Legislation is the first step, but legislation without pedagogy to the public, transparency of the caliber of the dilemma, and strong implementation is insufficient. The dilemma is rooted as much in culture as in legislation; undermining women at home, creating a sense of male superiority, and entitlement has produced a society of untapped potential and expertise in women. Besides, a sense of entitlement in men has resulted in a lack of effort and educational growth. Algerians need to understand, in their quest for a stronger democratic state, that equality should start at home in our daily actions. The culture we create amongst each other radiates into our society. Democracy means equal treatment and attributes based on results and merit, not trivial factors such as gender. Anything less wastes national resources and time and regresses the nation. As Oxfam International executive director Winnie Byanyima points out, women in parliament often promote legislation for women’s rights when given a chance. Besides, Byanyima also argues that having a sufficient number of women in parliaments will promote children’s rights and speak more about the interests of communities, as they are closely involved in community life. This is not a battle but a partnership of the genders; like any partnership, there is a need for equal treatment.

Bibliography

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IPU Parline. “Monthly Ranking of Women in National Parliaments.” Parline: the IPU’s Open Data Platform, 2022. https://data.ipu.org/women-ranking?month=1&year=2022.

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UN Women. “Facts and Figures: Economic Empowerment.” UN Women, 2018. https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/economic-empowerment/facts-and-figures#notes.

Zahia, Ouadah-Bedidi. “Gender Inequity in Education in Algeria: When Inequalities Are Reversed.” Journal of Education & Social Policy 5, no. 2 (2018). https://doi.org/10.30845/jesp.v5n2a10.